Machine for wax-treating parts of boots and shoes.



C. PEASE.

MACHINE FOR WAX TREATING PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION HLED SUNE 7, 1906.

Patented June 1, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS COQ PHOTU LITHO WASHINGTON. D. C.

ion

CHARLES PEASE, 015 BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED-XPEDITE FINISHING COMPANY, OF BERWICK, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

MACHINE FOR WAX-TREATING PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

Application filed .Tune '7, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES PEASE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Wax- Treating Parts of Boots and Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

The invention of this application relates to machines for finishing boots and shoes and particularly to machines for finishing the edges of heels. In some of its aspects it consists in improvements in machines of the ty e disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,094,??77, granted April 21, 1914:, although many of its features may be embodied with good advantage in finishing machines of other types.

It is the present practice to finish heels by rubbing upon the previously smoothed edge of the heel a preparation which contains wax, usually carnauba wax as one of its principal ingredients. Such preparations are commonly known in the trade as wax and will be referred to by this term in this description and in the annexed claims. The wax is solid at normal temperatures, but the best results in finishing heels are obtained by the use of wax that is heated and is applied in molten condition to the surface to be finished. When so applied it enters and fills the cracks and crevices between the lifts of the heel and also forms over the entire surface to be finished a film capable of taking a high polish when treated with proper polishing tools. It is characteristic of the wax that it cools and returns to its solid form quickly and it is found in practice that it can be applied to heels to the best advantage by a work-rubbing member which is heated and has the liquid wax properly distributed over its work-rubbing face.

A feature of the present invention consists in a finishing machine having a work-rubbing member provided with an acting face of material capable of absorbing wax, combined with means for frictionally engaging said acting face to heat and distribute the wax carried by it. The heating means may comprise a block adapted to be set in position to engage and frictionally heat the acting Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jane 1, 1915.

Serial No. 320,622.

face of the work-rubbing member and to heat and distribute wax carried by said member.

Another feature of the invention consists in a finishing machine having means for supplying wax to the acting face of the work-rubbing member, combined with novel means for heating the said member. Preferably the means for supplying wax and the means for heating the work-rubbing member are arranged to act independently when desired, either of said two means being arranged to be rendered operative or inoperative without affecting the operation of the other means. The means for supplying wax may be a holder for unmelted wax arranged to be moved for presenting wax to the workrubbing member. Preferably means are pro vided for retaining the wax holder in the position to which it is adjusted so that when it has been moved to present wax to the work-rubbing member it will continue to deliver wax without attention from the operator and when delivery of wax is not required it may be held in an inoperative position. The heating means may be adjusted simultaneously with the wax supplying means to increase the heating of the workrubbing member while wax is being delivcred, or the wax-supplying means may be adjusted independently of the heating means.

Preferably provision is made for heating the work-rubbing member and the wax carried thereby in addition to or instead of the heat developed by frictional engagement of the wheel and the friction block. To this end the block is formed with a chamber, and a burner is provided adjacent to the lower end of said chamber from the flame of which the block may be heated in addition to the heat developed by the friction of the work- 9 rubbing wheel, or, if desired, the block may be positioned out of touch with the wheel and heated by the flame alone. It will, therefore, be understood that a feature of the invention includes means which may be employed if desired for heating the work rubbing wheel without frictional engagement between the heating block and the wheel or in addition to the heat produced by such frictional engagement. The heating block is preferably mounted for movement about two centers whereby it can better be adjusted with relation to the work-rubbing member,as, for example, to position the difierent portions of the surface of the block at the desired distance from the acting face of the work-rubbing member or in proper frictional bearing with said face. The wax holder is carried by the heating block which acts as a distributer for the wax. By moving the block to a position out of touch with the work-rubbing wheel the application and distribution of wax may be discontinued without substantially affecting the heating of the wheel by radiation from the flameheated block.

Other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the drawings, which illustrate one construction embodying this invention,Figure l is a perspective view of so much of a heel finishing machine as is required to illustrate this invention; Fig. 2 is a section through the work-rubbing member and the heating block on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail view of a holder for meltable wax; Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the heating block in frictional engagement with the acting face of the work-rubbing member and also showing a burner in operative position for heating the friction block; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. & and illustrates the burner in an inoperative position,

the work-rubbing member being heated by friction alone Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4: showing the heating block adjusted to a position out of contact with the workrubbing member and the burner in position for heating the block and the work-rubbing member. This figure shows in dotted lines a position of the heating block and wax holder for suspending the delivery of wax without withdrawing the block from position to heat the work-rubbing member; Fig. 7 is another view similar to Fig. 4e and shows the block heated by the burner and arranged to engage the work-rubbing member merely for distributing the wax, said member being heated by radiation from the block. The dotted lines show the position of the heated block and wax holder when these parts are 'moved angularly about the support 15 to shift them away from the work-rubbing member.

The frame of the machine is provided with bearings for a driving shaft 2 upon which is mounted the work-rubbing member, herein shown as a covered brush or wheel, but which may be of any suitable or usual construction for use in finishing shoes. The wheel comprises a hub 4:, from which project bristles 6. The acting face of the work-rubbing member is herein shown as formed by an endless band or continuous covering 8 of textile fabric extending over the wheel. The covering will preferably be made of fabric having a surface adapted to take unmelted wax by attrition from a stick or block of wax and absorb the wax to some extent when the wax becomes heated. For heating the work-rubbing member and melting the wax on its acting face a. block 10 is movably supported in touch or close proximity with the periphery of the wheel. The heating block is provided on its rear face with a split clamp comprising members 12 and a binding screw 14 by means of which the block is adjustably secured to its support 15. The support is herein shown as a bar circular in cross section and adapted to permit the block to be readily adjusted angularly thereon, the binding screw 1 1 being loosened for this purpose if necessary.

The support is offset or downwardly bent at 16 to provide a shank portion 18 located in a. different plane from the portion to which the block is secured, whereby when the support is turned or adjusted angularly the block will be moved bodily toward or from the work-rubbing member. The shank 18 of the support is mounted in a bearing 20 in the frame of the machine and held from free rotary movement therein by a binding screw 22. The support is provided with a hand lever 24 by means of which it may be turned for adjusting the heating block. Movement of the support shifts the heating block bodily with relation to the work-rubbing member, while movement of the block angularly upon the support moves the upper end of the block toward or from the work-rubbing member. By means of these two adjustments the heating block may be positioned in any desirable relation to the acting face of the work-rubbing member and made to bear evenly throughout its length against the acting face of said member, or to bear thereon at one end only as shown, for example, in Fig. 7, and when desired the block may be moved into parallel or other relation to the periphery of the work-rubbing member where it will be out of contact therewith, as shown in Fig. 6. The heating block is preferably formed with a longitudinally curved front face adapted to embrace a portion of the periphery of the work-rubbing wheel and said front face is also herein shown as transversely curved to conform to the transverse curvature of the acting face of the wheel.

The machine is preferably provided with means for supplying wax to the acting face of the wheel and as herein shown the wax supplying means comprises a holder for unmelted wax and has provision for movement of the wax into and out of contact with the acting face of the work-rubbing wheel. Any other suitable means for supplying wax may be employed and the wax supplying means may be supported in any convenient way. As herein shown, the wax holder is carried by the heating block 10. To this end the heating block has at its upper end forwardly 1,1a1,2es

extending arms 30 to which are pivotally connected the two side members 32 of a clamp adapted to hold a stick of wax. The members of the clamp are secured together by a binding screw 34. It is customary to mold wax in sticks having inclined edges, as shown in Fig. 1, and the adjacent sides of the clamping members 82 are provided with faces inclined backwardly and outwardly as indicated in Fig. 1 to force the stick of wax against the rear face of the clamp when the members of the clamp are pressed together. By this construction of the clamp the stick of wax is securely held against longitudinal movement while being presented to the wheel. A spring 35 may be arranged as shown in Fig. 3 to extend into the clamp and press the stick of wax against the rear wall for more securely holding the wax against upward movement when the wax is pressed against the wheel while offering no obstruction to downward adjustment of the wax stick. The lower end of the spring is bent inwardly to engage the stick of war and resist backward movement of the wax. One of the clamping members is connected to its carrying arm 80 by a screw and binding nut 36 which will preferably be arranged to offer suiiicient frictional resistance to the movement of the holder so that the holder will remain in the positions to which it may be adjusted. This construction enables the operator to move the wax holder into the full-line position shown in Fig. 4c and leave it there without further attention until sufficient wax may have accumulated on the work-rubbing wheel to finish several shoes. He may then move the wax holder into the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 4: where it will remain until it is desirable to supply more wax. A hand lever 38 is attached to one of the clamping members 32 for convenience in adjusting the wax holder.

For heating the block 10 in addition to the heat developed by friction between the block and the work-rubbing wheel, or instead of such friction heat, a burner 40 is provided for directing a gas flame into position to heat the block. As herein shown, the block is provided with a longitudinal chamber or passage 42 and the burner 40 is arranged to be adjusted into position to direct a flame into the passage whereby the block is heated substantially evenly throughout its length by a column of heated air. The burner is held in a clamp 4% which is frictionally secured to the block support 15 so that the burner can be readily moved away from the block as shown in Fig. 5. Preferably the block will have provision for shielding the wax in the wax holder from the column of heated air produced by the flame. To this end the block is provided at the upper end of the passage 42 with a wall or shield 46 to direct the hot air backwardly and outwardly away from the wax holder.

In using the machine the shoe, supported in the hands of the workman or otherwise, as preferred, is presented with the heel edge to be finished against the peripheral or acting face of the work-rubbing wheel and turned to allow the different portions of the edge to be treated. The heating block 10 may be positioned as shown in Figs. 4: and 5 in frictional engagement with the acting face of the wheel whereby heat will be developed and the wax on the wheel melted so that it will be applied to the work in liquid form. The wax is also distributed over the width of the acting face of the wheel by the engagement of the heating block with the wheel. If more heat is required than can advantageously be produced by the friction between the wheel and the block the burner 40 may be employed to direct a flame into or against the heating block. In some cases it may be desirable to depend wholly upon the burner to heat the block and to heat the wheel by radiation from the block. In that event the block may be positioned out of touch with the wheel, as shown in Fig. 6, or with only a small portion of its surface in engagement with the wheel, as shown in Fig. 7, in which the block touches the wheel at its upper end for distributing the wax without presenting enough resistance to heat the wheel materially. The wheel may be supplied with wax from a stick of unmelted wax held in the hand of the workman and pressed against the acting face of the wheel, or the wax may be supplied in any other usual way; but preferably a stick of wax will be arranged in the clamp 32 and the clamp positioned to hold the wax against the wheel when delivery of wax is desired and to hold the wax out of contact with the wheel when further delivery of wax is not required. The friction device 36 causes the wax holder to be retained in its adjusted positions so that the workman has merely to adjust the holder to operative position and then may proceed with. his work until sufficient wax has accumulated on the wheel to finish several shoes, when he can position the holder away from the wheel while the accumulated wax is being used. The cloth or other fabric which forms the acting face of the wheel takes the wax by attrition from the stick and this is done more rapidly be cause the wheel is heated. If the heating block is arranged as shown in full lines in Fig. 7 to heat the wheel mainly by radiation while its upper end rests lightly on the wheel to distribute the wax, the wax holder and block may be moved together to put the distributer and the wax holder into and out of operative relation to the wheel without materially affecting the heating of the vention and described a preferred constructionembodying the invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a machine of the class described, a wax applying wheel having a textile covering, in combination with a wax supplying device, and a movably mounted friction block located substantially at the rear side of the wheel, and means, including a handle extending forwardly Within the reach of the operator, for moving the block toward or from position for frictionally engaging and heating the surface of the wax applying wheel. 7 I

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a work-rubbing wheel, of a friction block for engaging said wheel, a support mounted for angular movement to carry the block bodily toward the wheel, means for moving the support, and a connection between the block and the support arranged to permit angular movement of the block upon the support.

' 3. In amachine of the class described, the combination with a work-rubbing wheel, of means for heating the acting face of the wheel, and supplying the wheel with wax,

' comprising a chambered block supported adjacent to one side of the wheel, a burner arranged to deliver a flame into said chambered block, and a holder for unmelted wax supported on said block, said means having provision for protecting the wax from the heat of the burner.

4;. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a work-rubbing wheel, of a block having a curved face formed to embrace a portion of the'periphery of the wheel, a longitudinal channel in said block,

a burner arranged at the lower end of the channel for heating the block, a holder for unmelted wax at the other end of the block, and a shield for diverting the heat from the wax.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a work-rubbing wheel, and means for rotating it, of a holder for a stick of meltable wax arranged in position to present the wax to the wheel and comprising separable clamping members having backwardly and outwardly inclined side faces forming a channel widest at its rear side, and means for forcing said clamping members together whereby the stick is clamped between said side faces and the rear wall of the holder.

6. A machine for finishing heels, comprising a work-rubbing member, means for heating said work-rubbing member, a holder for meltable wax, manually controlled means for moving the wax holder toward and from position for the wax to be melted and taken up by the heated work-rubbing member, and means constructed and arranged to maintain the wax holder in the positions to which it may be moved.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a work-rubbing member provided with an acting face of material adapted to take wax by attrition from a supply of unmelted wax, and means for presenting the unmelted wax to the workrubbing member, combined with means located at the rear of the machine for frictionally engaging the acting face of the member whereby the wax is melted and spread over said acting face, and a handle extending forwardly into convenient reach of the operator for moving said means into an inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES PEASE.

Witnesses ARTHUR L. RUSSELL. CHARLES E. GnUsH.

G'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

